Edwin Monsanto Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine

Edwin Monsanto Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine

ST. THOMAS, US—District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez today sentenced Edwin Monsanto, 54, of St. Thomas, to 33 months in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced.

On January 29, 2014, Monsanto pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 20 kilograms of cocaine. Monsanto was arrested as part of the investigation of Roberto Tapia, Director of the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) Division of Environmental Enforcement. On November 7, 2013, Monsanto was charged in a 69-count third superseding indictment, along with Tapia, Angelo Hill, Walter Hill, Jr., Stephen Torres, Eddie Lopez-Lopez, Raymond Brown, Hector Alcenio, and Angel L. Negron-Beltran.

As part of his sentence, Monsanto also was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment, perform 150 hours of community service, and forfeit all proceeds of his crime.

The case was investigated by the Public Corruption Task Force, which comprises the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Virgin Islands Police Department; U.S. Marshals Service; Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI); U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); United States Coast Guard; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General. It was prosecuted by former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kim R. Lindquist and Kelly B. Lake, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim L. Chisholm.